War Thunder

Mogami: Going All Out

Mogami is the lead ship of her class of four Japanese heavy cruisers, initially designed as light cruisers around the limits set by naval armament treaties at the time. Docking at player ports with the release of the upcoming update 1.91, Mogami will soon become the new crowning jewel of the Japanese cruiser line in War Thunder!

Briefly: The new top Japanese heavy cruiser, fitted with excellent armour protection and an unforgiving primary armament consisting of ten 203mm cannons!

Mogami, heavy cruiser, Japan, IV rank.

Pros

Powerful primary weapons

Excellent hull armour protection

Cons

Lackluster AA

Poor main calibre artillery armour

Historical Background:

Development of the Mogami-class cruiser dates back to the early 1930s, when the IJN launched its development as part of a naval rearmament program. Wishing to substantially strengthen their navy’s cruisers, the IJN high command ordered for a new design to be drawn up which would practically reach the very limits of the London Naval Treaty in effect at the time.

The new warship was initially set at a displacement of 8,500 tons and was to be armed with fifteen 155mm guns, spread across five triple turrets. However, even at the design stage it was already clear that the real displacement would significantly exceed this limit and would be around 11,000 tons so it was decided to conceal the true data. In December of 1934, Japan denounced the Washington Agreements, and refused to sign the Second London Treaty in January of 1936. As a result, in the period between 1939 and 1940 all cruisers of the Mogami type underwent reconstruction, in which the main weapons were replaced by ten 203-mm guns in five turrets, the ships were then formally reclassified as heavy cruisers.

Nonetheless, Mogami-class cruisers raised concerns with other naval powers, some simply dismissed their design specifications as being false, while others, such as the U.S., began building counterparts of their own. Four Mogami-class heavy cruisers took part in several major operations during WW2, including the Battle of Midway, Leyte Gulf and many others. All ships of the class were lost in combat between June 1942 - November 1944.

Following its introducing into War Thunder with the upcoming update 1.91, Mogami will become the new top heavy cruiser available to all captains at rank IV of the Japanese naval forces tree. Fitted with powerful 203mm guns (and lots of them) in combination with durable armor protection, Mogami is sure to strike fear into the heart of its enemies the moment its sleek silhouette gets spotted on the horizon!

As already mentioned, one of Mogami’s indisputable strengths lies within its primary armament. Equipped with a staggering 10 203mm Type 3 cannons, spread across five dual turrets, Mogami will present a threat to virtually any enemy it faces on the high seas. Even a single well-aimed salvo, concentrated at an enemy’s vital component will usually grant them a one way ticket to the deep blue. In addition to that, Mogami can dispense destruction below the waves as much as it can above them, thanks to the presence of four triple 610mm launchers, mounting the deadly Type 93 torpedo!

Fun Fact: The old triple 155mm turrets used on Mogami-class cruisers prior to the 1939 overhauls were later fitted to the Yamato-class battleships and were used as secondary guns.

However, while Mogami’s primary armament may well be among the deadliest in the game, the same cannot necessarily be said about its remaining weapons arsenal. Being fitted with four dual 127mm multipurpose guns on either side of the hull, along with four dual 25mm cannons and two dual 13mm machine guns comprising its anti-air armament, Mogami is certainly far from immune from aerial attacks and lighter vessels that sneak up on it unnoticed. Therefore, aspiring captains of the Mogami will need to remain vigilant at all times, and preferably stay relatively close to allies, if they wish to avoid some unpleasant surprises.

Another feature of the Mogami that will surely be greatly valued by many of its aspiring captains is its excellent hull protection. Sporting a 100mm thick belt armor, along with 140mm armor plating protecting the magazines as well as bulges fitted to the side of the hull for increased stability and torpedo protection. It should also be noted that although the hull of Mogami is superior to the majority of Japanese ships in the game in terms of protection, its main calibre artillery is very poorly armoured.

Despite its impressive displacement of over 14,100 tons, Mogami is still able to reach a very respectable top speed of 34.7 knots (64 km/h). The ship is able to achieve such speeds, despite its sizeable displacement, mainly thanks to the 152,000 horsepower generated by its four geared turbines, powered by 10 steam boilers.